X-Zelit : Beyond a milk fever prevention strategy


Debby Brown demonstrates how calving a Jersey cross herd outside is now a breeze for Graham Bell at Crathorne Farms!


X-Zelit : Beyond a milk fever prevention strategy

Debby Brown demonstrates how calving a Jersey cross herd outside is now a breeze for Graham Bell at Crathorne Farms!

X-Zelit stimulates the cow's hormonal system to actively absorb and mobilise calcium to ensure she is fully 'fired up' at the time of calving.

Cows are subsequently more energetic, have higher feed intakes and are 'ready to go'. Consequently they are less likely to fall into energy deficit and also suffer fewer metabolic issues. Clinical Milk Fever incidents come with a significant price tag. For example, displaced abomasums at £500 per incidence; retained cleansings £265, metritis £130 and SARA £300.

For Graham Bell, at Crathorne Farms, feeding X-Zelit really proved its worth. His unit carries a 400 cow block autumn calving herd. The New Zealand Friesian cross Jersey averages 7,000 litres.

"Milk fever has always been a major problem despite concerted efforts towards its prevention," says herd manager, Graham Bell.

"Clinical milk fever incidents were running at 14% and the time and effort required to administer calcium to cows that had gone down, as well as those more prone to milk fever, was putting a real strain on the whole team."

"As the cows are autumn calving the majority of cows calve outside. They are held on tightly grazed pastures to keep energy density down and in the last two weeks before calving they come in to be fed the dry cow concentrate. They have also been offered dry cow buckets in the past."

"However it's well documented that Jersey and Jersey crosses are more susceptible to metabolic disorders at calving. Added to this, an all grass diet and variable weather conditions and the potential for disaster is great," he explained.

"We previously fed a dry cow blend containing Mg supplements and provided access to dry cow buckets, however, Debby Brown advised us to introduce X-Zelit, the calcium binding additive to the dry cow diet in 2011/12. During the following 24 months, milk fever incidents reduced by 54%, retained cleansings by 62% and vulval discharge/metritis by 58%."(See table below)

As a response to request from some users, the physical form of the concentrate was changed to a roll in early 2013 to allow feeding on the ground at pasture. Intakes were inconsistent when the rolls were introduced.

The feed format was changed during the time when many were due to calve. X-Zelit the previous year had improved conception rates to first service by 7 to 75% and all services by 7 to 73%. This enabled the block calving herd to tighten up on its calving interval to allow more cows to calve outside when the weather was usually better in early autumn. While the calving herd were consuming some X-Zelit, consumption was not at the required amount and as a result, 26 cows were administered calcium post calving as a preventative measure although only 3 had classic milk fever symptoms. After the rolls were reformulated as a nut there were no further signs of milk fever at all. Needless to say we won't be changing this again.

These figures are by far and away the best figures we have ever had.

2013 resulted in a tighter calving pattern and subsquent milk production benefit. Cows reached peak numbers - 400 head, one month earlier than the previous year. From the cows calved in 2013 there was a 95% submission rate in the first three weeks accompanied by a 71% conception rate which will lead to further tightening of the calving pattern. "While the treatment cost us an additional £15 per cow or £6,000 for the herd, the net benefit was £15,536". (See table below)

facts and figures


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